Safety helmet and eye piece assembly



Aug. 22, 1967 R. c. AEBERSOLD ET'AL I 3,336,598

SAFETY HELMET AND EYE PIECE ASSEMBLY Filed June 8, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS.

ROBERT c. AEEERSOLD JACK 0. HA RDEN A T TOf-PNEV 22,1957 c. AEBERSOLD ETAL 3,336,598

SAFETY HELMET AND EYE PIECE ASSEMBLY 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed June 8, 196 4 INVENTORS. ROBE/PTO AEBE/QSOLD JACK 0 HA/PDEN FJJA/mv ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,336,598 SAFETY HELMET AND EYE PIECE ASSEMBLY Robert C. Aehersold and Jack D. Harden, Saltville, Va., assignors to Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, a corporation of Virginia Filed June 8, 1964, Ser. No. 373,279 3 Claims. (Cl. 210) The present invention relates to safety devices and in particular to a protective helmet including a detachable eye shield.

A particular feature of the present invention is the provision of a combined safety helmet and eye shield assembly where the eye shield is detachable so that the helmet may be donned with or without the eye shield in place.

A further feature of the present invention is the provision of novel structure for attaching an eye shield to a protective helmet.

A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a combined protective helmet and eye shield assembly of simple, economical design.

A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a combined safety helmet and eye shield device which is comfortable to the wearer while providing eye protection forwardly and laterally of the wearer.

A combined protective helmet and eye piece assembly comprising the principles of the present invention may comprise a dome shaped protective head covering in combination with an internal head band, a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots formed in the interior of the head covering, bracket means including cooperating straps operative to engage corresponding slots eflective to connect the head band to the head covering, a flexible, transparent eye piece formed with at least two elongated ears, said ears being operative to engage mating straps effective to connect the eye piece detachably to the head covering, said eye piece being further formed with a flared lip operative to engage or seat upon the bridge of the nose.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from an examination of the succeeding specification when read in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a head covering-eye piece assembly embracing the present invention with portions of the head covering broken away for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the assembly as observed from the bottom;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the protective eye device shown detached from the helmet;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the bracket means of the helmet and eye shield of FIG. 1, and,

FIG. 6 is a vertical section of FIG. 5 lines 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 designates a protective helmet and the reference numeral l1 refers to an eye piece or eye shield device. The material from which the helmet 10 is constructed is not critical so long as it is of a relatively hard, light weight material having good resistance to frangibility and of suflicient strength to protect a wearers head from sharp blows, falling debris, and the like.

The material from which the eye shield is fabricated is not critical, the prime considerations being that the shield be reasonably flexible, transparent, and not subject to frangibility or shattering.

The protective helmet 10 includes a dome shaped head covering 12 bounded by a brim 13 where the width of the brim varies from a narrow dimension 14 at the front to a wider dimension 16 at the back. At the junction of the taken along the 3,336,598 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 brim 13 and the head covering 12 the interior of the helmet is formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots or recesses 17, 18, 19 and 21.

The interior of the helmet is also fitted with a head or sweat band 22 having connected thereto a plurality of bracket means (indicated generally by the reference numetal 23) which are circumferentially spaced about the sweat band so as to correspond with the slots 17, 18, 19 and 21.

Each of the bracket means 23 is mounted in a corresponding slot 17, 18, 19 or 21 and is removable therefrom to detachably connect the sweat band 22 to the helmet 10. Each bracket means 23 comprises a wedge 26 and a plastic plate 24 to which an end of an elevator strap 27 is secured. The straps 27 are looped and the inner ends of the loops are threaded centrally of the helmet by a drawstring 28 where the drawstring is adjustable to gather or release the loops in well known fashion operative to raised or lower the helmet upon the wearers head.

Each plate 24 is connected to the sweat band 22 by means of rivets 25 and each wedge 26 is connected to its mating'plate 24 by looping the strap 27 through wedge slot 29 and an opening 29' in the plate 24. After the strap 27 passes through the opening 29' in the plate 24, it extends to the diametrically opposed bracket means 23 where a similar type connection is formed. A double thickness of the strap 27 is stitched to the plate 24 as indicated by the reference numeral 31. The bitter ends of a particular strap 27 are designated by the reference numeral 40.

By passing the strap 27 through the slot 29 and subsequently stitching the strap to the plate 24, two occurrences develop, namely, (1) wedge 26 is connected to the plate 24 and (2) the loop formed provides a sling for the reception of a safety shield ear 32 or 33 in a manner which will be subsequently described.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, note that the eye shield comprises a generally flat plate 34 for covering the front of the eyes and lateral or side shields 37.

The actual connection between the sweat band 22 and the helmet 10 is accomplished by pushing wedges 26 into corresponding notches 17 through 21. The wedges 2626 are formed of plastic with a suitable friction lock or detent device (not shown) so that they can be inserted or removed from their mating slots.

As is most apparent in FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, the eye shield is detachably connected to the forward portion of the helmet by inserting the ears 32 and 33 into the loops or slings 30 formed as a result of the connection between the wedges 26 and their mating plates 24.

Specifically, the ear 33, for example, engages loop 30 by passing between the plate 24 and the wedge 26 and the bottom edge 38 of ear 33 is supported or cradled by the strap 27 at the point where it reverses direction to form the sling 30.

Note further that the eye piece 11 is formed with a flared lip 41 operative to engage the bridge of the nose and effective to prevent sharp edge 42 from cutting the bridge of the nose in the event the helmet is given a sharp blow tending to drive the eye shield downwardly.

A primary advantage of the present invention is that the helmet can be donned or removed with or without the eye shield in place.

Since the eye shield is flexible, it is a simple matter to slide ears 32 and 33 from their mating slings 30 to remove the eye shield so that the helmet may be worn with or without the shield, as desired.

It is anticipated that a wide variety of modifications may be devised in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined helmet and eye shield comprising a generally hemispherical head covering having a generally circular lower edge, a plurality of slots formed adjacent said lower edge and spaced about the interior thereof, bracket means including a plate member and a wedge member in each of said slots, each of said plate and wedge members having a slot formed therein and being in alignment with each other and with said slots in said lower edge, a sweat band supported by said plate members, a plurality of elevator straps having portions thereof threaded through a respective slot of each of said plate and wedge members and each of said portions being folded upon a respective strap and secured thereto forming a loop, an elongated transparent, flexible eye shield adapted to cover a wearers eyes and having laterally extending side shields at the ends thereof, each of said side shields having an elongated ear attached to a respective end thereof and extending toward each other, A

each ear extending into a loop adjacent said wedge member whereby said eye shield is removably attached to said head covering.

2. The combined helmet and eye shield of claim 1 wherein said eye shield includes a flared lip extending outwardly therefrom centrally of its bottom edge to engage the nose of a wearer.

3. The combined helmet and eye shield of claim 1 wherein said plurality of slots include at least two sets of diametrically opposed slots.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,204,688 6/1940 McClung et al. 2-10 2,272,542 2/1942 Blodjer 2-12 2,274,222 2/1942 TedrOw 2-10 2,456,334 12/1948 Shindel 2-13 X 2,802,212 8/1957 Finken 2-3 2,934,767 5/1960 Schoener 2-10 3,083,371 4/1963 Austin 2-3 3,092,837 6/1963 Austin 2-3 3,192,536 7/1965 Benner 2-3 3,205,508 9/1965 Cox 2-3 FOREIGN PATENTS 234,022 5/1925 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COMBINED HELMET AND EYE SHIELD COMPRISING A GENERALLY HEMISPHERICAL HEAD COVERING HAVING A GENERALLY CIRCULAR LOWER EDGE, A PLURALITY OF SLOTS FORMED ADJACENT SAID LOWER EDGE AND SPACED ABOUT THE INTERIOR THEREOF, BRACKET MEANS INCLUDING A PALTE MEMBER AND A WEDGE MEMBER IN EACH OF SAID SLOTS, EACH OF SAID PLATE AND WEDGE MEMBERS HAVING A SLOT FORMED THEREIN AND BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH SAID SLOTS IN SAID LOWER EDGE, A SWEAT BAND SUPPORTED BY SAID PLATE MEMBERS, A PLURALITY OF ELEVATOR STRAPS HAVING PORTIONS THEREOF THREADED THROUGH A RESPECTIVE SLOT OF EACH OF SAID PLATE AND WEDGE MEMBERS AND EACH OF SAID PORTIONS BEING FOLDED UPON A RESPECTIVE STRAP AND SECURED THERETO FORMING A LOOP, AN ELONGATED TRANSPARENT, FLEXIBLE EYE SHIELD ADAPTED TO COVER A WEARER''S EYES AND HAVING LATERALLY EXTENDING SIDE SHIELDS AT THE ENDS THEREOF, EACH OF SAID SIDE SHIELDS HAVING AN ELONGATED EAR ATTACHED TO A RESPECTIVE END THEREOF AND EXTENDING TOWARD EACH OTHER, EACH EAR EXTENDING INTO A LOOP ADJACENT SAID WEDGE MEMBER WHEREBY SAID EYE SHIELD IS REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO SAID HEAD COVERING. 